Total pages in book: 179
Estimated words: 173733 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 869(@200wpm)___ 695(@250wpm)___ 579(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 173733 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 869(@200wpm)___ 695(@250wpm)___ 579(@300wpm)
I tangle my fingers into his hair, wrap my leg around his hip and I’m right there in that sweet spot that this man takes me to all too easily. “Reese,” I breathe out at the same moment that he lets out a deep, guttural moan and shudders against me. I tumble with him and the room spirals into nothing but this man, his delicious, earthy scent, and the feel of him all around me. We collapse into reality and he drags me to a sitting a position.
“You okay?” he asks, brushing hair from my temple.
“My husband just fucked me on a desk. How can I not be okay?”
There are voices outside the door—Lori and Cole’s voices—and my heart leaps. “Reese,” I plea urgently and he hands me a tissue, fixes his pants and then sets me on the ground.
We don’t speak again until I’m dressed but the voices fade. “I can’t believe we just did that with guests in the house.”
“It’s our house,” he says, fitting me between him and the desk again. “Why do we feel off?”
And there it is. Proof of how connected we are. Proof that he reads me like no other human being ever has. “We’re not off. Not even a little off.”
“Then what do I feel?”
I don’t want to lie to him. I won’t lie to him. “You feel me fretting with you over this case,” I say, which is true. It’s why I can’t tell him about the baby now. I stroke his jaw. “I know how much pressure you put on yourself but you always win.”
“Always winning becomes expected,” he says, “and I want to live up to that expectation, but that, too, becomes more pressure.” It’s a confession I know that he would share with no one but me. “I feel that pressure,” he adds.
“Added to by the fact that you and Cole are now partners and neither of you have ever lost a case. You don’t want to blow that track record for the firm.”
He presses his hands to the desk on either side of me and looks skyward before fixing me in a turbulent stare. “It shouldn’t be about my record. It should be about my client.”
“It is,” I say, pressing my hand to his chest, his heart thundering beneath my palm. “It is about your client. Your perfect record staying perfect is about your client. It means you win this one, for her and you. And the firm. You pick your cases well, but if they aren’t a challenge, anyone could win. They can’t, but you can.”
He cups my head and kisses me. “I love you for believing that, sweetheart, especially since I know you’d call me on a poor performance.”
“There will be no poor performance,” I say. “That’s not you.”
He settles his hands on his hips. “You’re right. I’m going to win. I’m going to go make sure the team knows that. Do you want me to bring you your computer before I get started with them?”
“No. I’ll grab it and say hello to Lori and Cole.”
He heads for the door and I grab his arm, laughing as I wipe lipstick from his cheek. “You just love wearing my lipstick.”
“I love wearing you,” he teases, winking at me before he opens the office door.
We head into the kitchen where Lori and Cole are talking in hushed voices. “Hey you guys,” I greet, joining them at the island to scoop up my computer. “I can’t stay. In light of the leaked phone call, I’m off to rework my column for tomorrow.”
Lori’s eyes go wide and she shoves her brown hair out of her eyes, pressing her hands on the counter. “What are you going to write? What’s the angle?”
Cole motions to Reese and the two of them step out of the room. “You know I never know until I write it. Any thoughts?”
“You know that I don’t like to mess with your creative process, not unless you need me.”
Do I need her? Yes. I need to talk, but not about my work, about the baby, only I can’t. I’ve already told Lauren and Royce about the baby. I adore Lori. She’s such a good friend, but it feels like a betrayal to Reese to tell yet another person about the baby. And Lori and Cole are like me and Reese. They tell each other everything. I’m not having Cole know about this and Reese be in the dark.
“I’m good,” I say, and the truth is, I am. I’m in love. I’m married to my best friend and we’re having a baby. “I’ll join you guys to strategize in a few.”
I hurry away and return to the office, another smile playing on my lips as I think about me on that desk, and Reese on top of me. I sit behind that very desk and begin to edit my column. My new beginning reads: By now, most of you have heard or read the transcript of the leaked phone call between Dana Warren and her boyfriend. The interesting part of this call to me wasn’t that Dana wanted her father dead. It’s that she was willing to walk away from the money. The question becomes, who was afraid she really would?